vrijdag 8 mei 2015

I was really looking forward to a great read about the skipper, but I was let down immensly. Colin Gunderson was press coordinator and assistent to Tommy which, apparently, does not make you a writer. Like 'Miracle Men', of which you can read my review here, this manuscript was not proof read. Too many double words or missing ones don't make for a smooth read. I had hoped to learn more about Tom, his childhood, his upbringing, his struggle as a pitcher, his triumphs as a coach. Sure, there is some mention, but when it starts to get interesting it changes to players who were inspired by Tom's work ethics (self-confidence, hard work, determination, family, God). And lots of those player memories come from other books, literally! Quotes from Hershisers 'Out of the Blue', 'Miracle Men' and Piazza's 'Long Shot'. I don't need a summary of other books I've already read!Sure, I believe Tom has a great approach to the game, has a Blue heart and will fight for his players, but I didn't need this book to believe that. What the writer does is make Lasorda look like some kind of Oracle, God's right hand on earth, which almost makes me dislike him. Maybe that's because the writer has worked with Tom too long to be critical about him. All that positive talk while we all know Tommy can be very angry and profane if someone bad mouths him or his Dodgers. Gunderson should get a thesaurus as well. Reading the same words sentence after sentence is boring as hell. I tried to read the entire book, but couldn't. I really hoped for an enlightening read... skip this one!